"meats" news and stories

In the EU, meat cannot be treated with carbon monoxide to preserve a look of freshness, so food scientists have had to look for other methods of keeping packaged meat looking pink and appealing to consumers. Spanish researchers recently hit upon a possible solution: rosemary. Their studies show that a rosemary extract added to the packaging will have the same effect as carbon monoxide treatment. This so-called "active packaging" could be the wave of the future as far as meat products are concerned, since beef steaks packed in the "rosemary-enhanced plastic film" remained fresh-looking for 14 days under supermarket conditions - an increase of two days over chemical preservation.

The downside might be for consumers, who could have difficulty discerning the difference between a 2-day-old steak and a 2-week old one, although the idea of getting chemically-treated meat off the shelves sounds like one that most meat-eaters could get behind anyway.

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A lot of people are uncomfortable eating meat that looks like part of an animal, so pre-packaged and process meats are popular. This lunch meat, however, must be one of more disturbing things to ever have been featured in the deli meat section of a grocery store. The problem isn't that it is 80% pork with coloring added to it, but that the coloring is added to make it look like a clown face. It is clearly intended to be appealing to children, it actually explains why some children are afraid of clowns. After all, if you discovered a face in your sandwich when you were in kindergarten, you would be traumatized, too. This meat might also be a factor in why some children become vegetarians.

At least soylent green didn't look like people.

[via Neatorama]

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No additives, no hormones. no chemicals... do these phrases mean what you think they mean? The Diet Detective has a little guide to help you figure out what these designations mean, and it isn't always what you think.

• No antibiotics - Some antibiotics are given to treat sick animals, and given to the whole herd when one animal is ill. The "subtheraputic" use of drugs to boost animal growth is the main concern here, and labeling usually differentiates between the two. Organic farmers cannot use any animal for organic products that has been treated with antibiotics, so they are simple separated from the herd if they must be treated.
• No chemicals - This label means nothing (or anything at all), since there is no USDA or FDA definition of the term.
• No additives - There are 2,800 potential additives for meat in the US and the labeling applies to what was added to the meat, such as colorings and flavorings - not what was fed to the animal in the first place.
• No hormones - Hormones are not allowed in the production of pork and poultry. Period. Cows can be given hormones to speed their growth, though, so if the label specifies that "No hormones [were] administered," the cow probably lived a healthy and natural life.

The Detective notes that because the regulations are in place, doesn't mean that they are always followed. In many cases, there is little in the way of follow-up to prove that all producers are living up to their labels. Many suppliers, however, do live up to the standards set by law, if not to a higher standard of their own. Labeling may not be fail-safe, but it's still more reliable than the alternatives of no labels or completely unsanctioned ones.

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Generally, meat is for eating and not to be used as a toy. In this case, however, I think we can make an exception. Sweet Meats sells (vegetarian!) meat plushies, all made from and stuffed with a super-soft fleece. The varieties they sell include ham, t-bone and pork chops, as well as ribs and hot links. Most of the plushies are available in a "family size" for those who like their meat larger, too.

It seems like they would make an amusing gift for vegetarian friends, since no animals were harmed in the making of these meats, or a cute alternative to a teddy bear for a young carnivore-in-training. Can you imagine a little kid carrying around a plush steak instead of a security blanket? Adorable!

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It is difficult to tell when a steak is done simply by looking at it unless you like your meat very, very rare or very, very well-done. The cooking times given in recipes, if given at all, tend to be vague because the temperatures that our grills and stoves work at can vary so widely. For example, a dial set to "medium heat"  on one stove might actually produce as large a flame as "high heat" in another kitchen. Cutting meat open once at the end of cooking isn't a big deal, but if you need to keep checking the interior of the meat, you can lose a lot of the cooking juices. The best way to check if the meat is done is by using a meat thermometer (125F for rare, 135F for medium, and 155F for well-done, according to Real Simple), but you can also use your hand as a reference and determine the doneness from the firmness of the meat.

I labeled a diagram of a hand, above, to identify the reference points. Simply press the labeled spots on your hand. They correspond with the following levels of doneness:

1. Rare meat should feel soft and offer little resistance to pressure.
2. Medium meat should feel firm, but with a little bit of give to it. The less give, the more well-done the piece will be.
3. Well done meat should also feel firm, but will have only minimal give to it.

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